Am I doing something wrong? Is there a particular mode which lets you get achievements and others do not? I can't even seem to get the basic 'first blood' achievement for destroying a unit, never mind all the other intereseting achievements that look like...

I've played as the USSR twice, starting in 1939. Twice I have lost by 1942, on "normal" difficulty.
I have many tech level 2 infantry armies by the time the Germans attack in the summer of 41, right on cue, but I am steamrolled by Panzer armies of 20+ st...